Education

Research interests

My project explores
the tripartite interactions between the
mosquito gut microbial
communities, the PGRPLC-mediated anti-bacterial defence reactions and infections
with Plasmodium, and how these might be exploited in future interventions
aiming to control malaria transmission. Bacteria in the mosquito
midgut have been previously shown to affect Plasmodium development. The
dramatic bacterial proliferation after a blood meal coincides with the invasion
of the mosquito midgut by Plasmodium ookinetes, with An. gambiae
immune responses to limit bacterial proliferation affecting the infection
intensity of human and rodent Plasmodium parasites. The aim of the
project is to investigate the diversity and dynamics of the mosquito gut
microbiota, elucidate constitutive immune responses triggered by commensal
bacteria that may affect susceptibility and refractoriness against Plasmodium
infections, characterize bacterial populations responsible for inducible
immunity and explore the possibility of the use of genetically modified bacteria for blocking malaria transmission.